CAMBODIA

The Cambodian government has used the coronavirus outbreak to lock up opposition activists and others expressing concern about the virus and the government’s response, according to US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). Seventeen people have been arrested since late January for sharing information about the coronavirus in the one-party state, including four members or supporters of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), HRW said. They were charged with penal code violations including incitement, conspiracy, and spreading false information, the group said. The arrests included a 14-year-old girl who expressed fears on social media about rumours of coronavirus cases at her school and in her province, said the group.